Massive fire breaks out in New Market

The fire broke out at the wholesale fish bazaar. Around 20 fire engines were called in to put out the flames. Photo: Sanjoy Ghosh

A massive fire broke out in the 141-year-old New Market, also known as S.S Hogg Market, located in central Kolkata.

Fire has spread in the in old fish and vegetable market and the locals complained that the fire engines reached “quite an hour after” the fire broke out.

However, about 20 engines and police rushed to the spot as the fire spread out and the area was engulfed in thick black smoke. No reports of casualty were known till afternoon. Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee reached the spot to assess the situation.

Fire fighters faced difficulty in bringing the fire under control as the area was congested and efforts are on to evacuate people from inside the market.

This comes within a month of a major >fire breaking out inside a shopping complex in the New Market area.

So far it is not clear if anybody is trapped inside the huge market, which was thrown open to the British in 1874.